The Manchester Vampire - Legends & Lore
In 1792 Rachel Harris Burton of Manchester was exhumed from her grave and partially burned out of fear she had become vampire. Rachel, and the citizens of Manchester, were caught up in a vampire panic that spread through New England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a panic with two documented cases in Vermont, first in Manchester and then again over 40 years later in Woodstock.
Through the Vermont Legends & Lore® program—a partnership with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation®—VFC supported the Manchester Historical Society with their proposal for a marker commemorating Rachel’s story. Join us and Manchester Historical Society Curator and VFC Trustee Shawn Harrington at 11am on August 6, 2022 at the entrance to Factory Point Cemetery in Manchester Center, VT as we dedicate the marker. Following the dedication Harrington will lead a short tour of Factory Point Cemetery and visit to Rachel’s final resting place.
“The vampire of folklore is pretty different from the vampire of contemporary books and movies, so we’re not talking Dracula, Buffy or Twilight here,” says Folklife Center Associate Director and Archivist Andy Kolovos. “The folkloric vampire was frequently someone who recently died (often of a disease like tuberculosis) and, at a time before the germ theory of disease was widely accepted, then became a supernatural scapegoat for continued illness and death in the community.”
Fitting the pattern, Rachel Harris Burton died of tuberculosis in 1790. A year or so later her husband remarried, only to have his new wife fall victim to the same terrible, wasting disease. Suspicion soon fell upon Rachel as the source—drawing the very life from her husband’s new wife—and the community took drastic action to end what they saw as a dire threat.
Manchester Historical Society Curator and Vermont Folklife Center Trustee Shawn Harrington composed the marker text, working closely with the Vermont Folklife Center and the town of Manchester. “Having a written account by Judge John S. Pettibone (1786-1872) from an eyewitness, coupled with Rachel’s distinctive headstone in Factory Point Cemetery provides a unique glimpse of this phenomenon 230 plus years ago,” says Harrington.
Following the dedication, Harrington will lead a short tour of Factory Point Cemetery and visit to Rachel’s final resting place.
“We are pleased to fund the Manchester Historical Society’s Legends & Lore roadside marker,” said Deryn Pomeroy, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Trustee at the Pomeroy Foundation. “Legends & Lore markers not only help communities bring greater attention to their own unique stories, but also promote the diverse landscape of folk and traditional arts. We look forward to helping more communities across the state obtain Legends & Lore grants through our terrific partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center.”
There are currently two Legends & Lore markers in Vermont, one in Marlboro commemorating Vermont song collector and folk singer, Margaret MacArthur, and now the new marker in Manchester. If you would like to explore placing a marker in your community, please contact the Vermont Folklife Center. As a part of a submission to the Pomeroy Foundation, applications are reviewed by Vermont Folklife Center staff and our partner, legendary Vermont folklorist, Joe Citro. "We would love to see more of these plaques,” says Citro. “At one time vampires were all over the state!"
